- Member of Parliament
- Member of Parliament
- NDP
- Churchill—Keewatinook Aski
- Manitoba
- Voting Attendance: 61%
- Expenses Last Quarter: $142,937.96
- Government Page
- Feb/9/24 10:56:55 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the process of reconciliation must move forward in our country, and the federal government must absolutely fulfill its obligation.
In my riding, a number of first nations are talking about the need for concrete measures on the ground. For them, reconciliation means putting an end to the third-world conditions that exist in their communities. Some clear examples include the housing crisis, the lack of infrastructure, particularly in the context of the climate crisis, and the lack of clean drinking water.
Does the member agree that reconciliation with first peoples also means improving the daily living conditions in first nations communities?
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- Jan/31/24 6:31:12 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, the member across talked about the government's investments in housing, and I am proud of the NDP's work to fight for significant investments in housing and, in particular, a focus on urban and northern housing for indigenous peoples. However, we know that the current Liberal government is failing first nations when it comes to housing, and I am talking about on-reserve housing. Some of the most acute housing crises in our country are on first nations with what many in the communities I represent refer to as third world living conditions.
If we go beyond housing, we know there is an estimated$350-billion infrastructure gap in first nations, including the needs first nations have because of the disproportionate impacts they are facing with respect to climate change. Unfortunately, yet again, this fall economic statement is a missed opportunity for the Liberals to act on the priorities and the desperate needs of first nations on housing, on infrastructure and on climate change mitigation. I am wondering when the Liberals will finally act to make the investments on first nations that are desperately needed.
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- Nov/23/23 3:15:05 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we now have an accurate picture of the infrastructure gap facing first nations, and the numbers are truly vile: $350 billion.
This is first nations like Shamattawa facing a housing crisis. It is the long-term boil water advisory in Pukatawagan and 27 other first nations. It is crumbling schools, like the one in Tataskweyak Cree Nation. It is the forced isolation of communities, like Wasagamack and Pauingassi, that desperately need an airport.
It is unacceptable, but what is the government's solution? It is cuts to Indigenous Services. Why are the Liberals punishing first nations for Liberal failures?
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- Oct/25/23 3:24:55 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as the Liberals fail on climate, first nations are leading the way. Today's transformative AFN report says first nations have begun taking matters into their own hands, unable to rely on other governments for robust climate action. What a sad state of affairs in a country as wealthy as Canada. The government insists on paying billions to big oil instead of investing in first nations, such as those here in Manitoba, on the front lines of the climate crisis.
When will the government stop with the billions to big oil, show leadership and invest in the priorities of indigenous communities facing the climate crisis now?
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- Jun/21/23 2:18:53 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, on this National Indigenous Peoples Day, we join in celebration and are reminded of the need for federal action on reconciliation.
First nations here require major federal investment in housing. In Shamattawa, Oxford House, Pukatawagan, Garden Hill and many others, families struggle in third world living conditions because of a lack of federal funding and because of ongoing federal neglect.
First nations like Tataskweyak Cree Nation desperately need a new school for their young people. It is time for the Liberal government to build the school.
First nations deserve economic justice. As the fishers of Grand Rapids lost their fish shack to a fire, many are forced to pay out of pocket to truck their catch even farther. They must be compensated. These are family- and community-sustaining jobs.
Finally, first nations and Métis youth in our north deserve investment. From recreation like soccer to after-school programming, indigenous youth are leaders today and we must support them.
On this day, let us see the Government of Canada not just celebrate but also, more importantly, act.
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Mr. Speaker, I acknowledge that today we are having a serious debate about cybersecurity and amendments to the Telecommunications Act.
What strikes me is that as we discuss this issue in Parliament, there is an immense disconnect. Many communities here in our own country have barely any access to the Internet and the wired world that so many of us take for granted.
I am thinking particularly of first nations in my constituency, 11 of which announced a regional state of emergency today. The threat they face is not from the outside; it is from within. It is the threat of drugs, as well as the threat of federal neglect through the housing crisis and the public safety crisis. It is truly an unbelievable set of crises that they are facing in one of the wealthiest countries in the world. As their member of Parliament, I certainly share the concern that Canada is not taking the reality of first nations seriously in this country. There is a disconnect they are facing.
The big question is: What will it take for the Government of Canada to act and deal with the real threats that first nations, particularly the most marginalized here in our country, are facing right now?
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- Mar/21/23 3:12:10 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, first nations in our region are in crisis and the government is missing in action.
In God's River, Gods Lake Narrows and Oxford House, drugs are destroying the lives of people. In God's River, the RCMP took up to two and a half days to respond to a serious incident. There is a housing crisis, a cost-of-living crisis and an unemployment crisis. First nations leaders and members on the ground are clear: They have never seen it this bad.
What will it take for the government to act on the humanitarian crisis that is destroying families and first nations right now?
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- Sep/26/22 3:09:22 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, with Orange Shirt Day fast approaching, we are going to see once again a government that talks a good game about respecting the rights of indigenous peoples but does not follow through. For clean drinking water, deadline after deadline has been missed. On overcrowding and homes in disrepair on first nations, there has barely been a dent, and for all the government's public commitments that communities must lead their own searches for the unmarked burial sites of their children, communities are saying that the government is dragging its feet instead of supporting them.
Can the government explain why, when it comes to really supporting indigenous communities, its answer is no?
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